By the Work of Her Hands

By the Work of Her Hands is an international collaborative project and recipient of the 2014 Museums Connect grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the American Alliance of Museums. 

 

The project is coordinated by New York University Professor, Jacqueline Bishop (NY, USA) and by the director of the Au Grain de Sésame, Asmaa Benachir (Morocco). The facilitators of the By the Work of Her Hands project include: The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) (PA, USA), The Tangier American Legation Museum (TALIM) (Morocco), The Quilters of Color Network New York (QCNNY)(NY, USA), Au Grain de Sésame (AGS) (Morocco), New York University's Liberal Studies Program (NYU) (NY, USA), and I’Institut Spécialisé du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel (ISCA)(Morocco).

 

By the Work of Her Hands explores the cultural exchange of the students and artists from New York and Morocco. The NYU and ISCA students documented the work of the artists from QCNN and AGS respectively. They conducted oral histories, photographed the quilts and textiles, and created documentaries. The exhibition was displayed at TALIM in March of 2015 and will be on display at the Fabric Workshop and Museum of Philadelphia from June-August 2015. Together, the coordinators, curators, women, and students of the project enjoyed a cross-cultural experience and will never forget the life long friendships and memories created by the experience that is By the Work of Her Hands.